The LMS Express

Hello all,

May is an exciting time at LMS - preparations are well underway for the plethora of "end-of-year" activities that students and staff look forward to each year. At the same time, classrooms are "clicking on all cylinders" at this point of the year, and teachers continue to work very hard to make the last few weeks engaging and rigorous as always.

Speaking of our teachers, I'd like to take this opportunity to express my own appreciation for all of the educators at LMS. This was Teacher Appreciation Week, and the outpouring of expressions of appreciation from the community, and our LMS PTO in particular, demonstrate just how much the care and dedication of our teachers is felt. Thank you, teachers!

Be Well,

Tom

Wednesday, May 20th - LMS Band & Choir Concert at Lebanon Opera House

Monday, May 25th - No School, Memorial Day

Tuesday, June 2nd - "New to LMS" Parent/Guardian Information Night, 5:30 p.m.

Friday, June 5th - 8th Grade Dinner/Dance, 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Tuesday, June 9th - Step-Up Day

Wednesday, June 10th - Spring Carnival/Field Day

Wednesday, June 10th - 7th Grade to Leb Pool & 8th Grade to Sunapee

Thursday, June 11th - Last Day of School/LMS Recognition Ceremony/11:30 Dismissal

For next year...

Wednesday, August 26th - First Day of School!

Our annual LMS Recognition Ceremony will be held on the last day of school - Thursday, June 11th, 2026 from 9:45-11:00. Below is some important information.

• Each 8th graders will be given 3 tickets to allow family & friends to attend the Recognition Ceremony.

• All 7th grade students will be present in the gym to watch the ceremony and celebrate the 8th graders

• Anyone who is not able to attend the ceremony will be able to watch virtually through a livestream link. We’ll provide that link a couple of days before the ceremony.

• Current LMS students with an 8th grade sibling are invited to attend the event as well, and that “doesn’t count” as one of the 8th grader’s tickets.

• 5th, 6th, and 7th graders will participate in ceremonies at the school, recognizing students that have been selected as winners of LMS Pride Awards by their teachers. These ceremonies take place prior to the last day of school, they are short and sweet, and families do not attend.

• “Last Day Lunch” - Students will have the opportunity to order a bagged lunch for the last day of school.

• Dismissal will be at 11:30.

Please reach out if you have any questions.

Each leaf on our LMS Community Tree is a visual representation of a situation in which a student or staff member went above and beyond to do the right thing! Great job, everyone!

This is the third year in a row that we have been recognized as a "Best Community for Music Education" by the NAMM Foundation. We are the only school in NH to receive this distinction.

LMS students were recognized at a Fisher Cats game celebration as our nominees for Most Improved Students. Some of them went on the field before the game!

LMS 8th graders took part in our Job Shadow Day last week. Students were able to experience a wide variety of work environments, and they came back to school energized! Many thanks to all of the Upper Valley businesses that participated, and to the Upper Valley Business Alliance for their partnership in bringing this experience to life for our students. This was a wonderful learning and life experience.

Please remember that PHYSICALS ARE REQUIRED FOR ALL STUDENTS IN 7th, 9th and 11th GRADES

*If you have a 6th grade student who has had a physical in 2026, please send it to the school nurse as that will count for their required 7th grade physical.

*If you have a 7th grade student, please make sure you have sent the school nurse a physical for them either dated in 2025 or 2026.

*If you have a 8th grade student and are not sure if you sent the school nurse a physical for their 7th grade year, please reach out to the nurse to find out.

*If your 8th grade student has had a physical in 2026, please send it to the school nurse as this will count for their required 9th grade physical, and they will be ready for high school in the fall! :)

*If your student is a 5th grader, feel free to send me anything! I always welcome student health information.

Thank you to all of you who have sent me this medical information! Having this information helps me to take care of your student(s) in the safest and most informed way possible.

Our Health students recently wrapped up their 30-day "Agency" rotation, moving from research to professional-grade wellness solutions.

• 6th Grade: Built Self-Care Expo Stations with interactive tools for stress management and emotional regulation.

• 7th Grade: Curated Physical Wellness "Subscription" Boxes featuring evidence-based activities for sustainable health.

• 8th Grade: Launched The Wellness Revolution, featuring digital PSA marketing campaigns and formal policy proposals for school leadership.

Students stepped into the role of professional advocates, pitching their projects to staff consultants. We're incredibly proud of their creativity and commitment to school wellness!

Students in Mrs. Sturtz's class model the phases of mitosis using Oreos and sprinkles.

Students in Mrs. Sturtz's science classes model the structure of DNA. They were able to choose Twizzlers and marshmallows for their model, or beads of different colors to make a DNA sequence bracelet.

On Wednesday, LMS welcomed two groups of Dartmouth students for a visit. Both groups are members of Prof. Roberto Rey Arudo’s Bilingualism class. One group visited with some of our multilingual students to chat and play games in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. A second group visited Profe MacFadden’s period 8 Spanish class to help them prepare for their final exam by offering speaking practice.

And just like that we are staring at the end of the school year! While the library continues to be open, books and materials stop circulating a couple of weeks before the last day of school. With hundreds of books in circulation right now, please mark your calendars for our final due date of 2025-26!

***All books checked out by students must be returned by Wednesday, May 27. ***

This allows us time to follow up with overdues, track down missing items, prepare to inventory our collection and order replacement copies when necessary.

Access to SORA ebooks, audiobooks and magazines will continue to be available all year long! Ebooks in Destiny are also always available. We also have audiobooks available on Learning Ally! Summer Reading information will be out soon.

On Saturday, May 2, the LMS Outing Club braved the rain and climbed Mt. Cardigan in Orange, NH!

Below is the link to the first issue of LMS Spark News, a student-run newsletter created by students to highlight school events, student voices, and positive moments within our school community. The newsletter is organized into several sections, including school highlights, teacher and classroom features, coverage of student activities and events, LMS PRIDE character spotlights, lighthearted student engagement sections such as jokes and brain teasers, a debate question, upcoming events, an inspirational message, and a feedback section. Its overall purpose is to highlight school life, share student voices, and promote positivity and engagement within the LMS community.

Please click this link: LMS Spark-Issue #1

This item was found outside over the Spring Break. Please contact the office if it is yours.

Thank You!

A huge thank you to all those who helped donate toward gift cards for all the LMS staff! These were much appreciated!

Wellness Committee

The LMS Wellness Committee is seeking parent members! Meetings are once a month after school. If interested, please email Dr. Rooney at crooney@sau88.net.

June PTO Meeting

Our next PTO meeting is Wednesday, June 3 at 6:30 PM in the LMS library or on Google Meet (wifi-willing)! We'll be holding elections for the next LMS PTO board.

June Music Committee Meeting

We'll have a quick meeting before the regular PTO meeting on Wednesday, June 3 at 6:00 PM in the LMS library.

Music Blanket Fundraiser

Buy a super soft, limited edition blanket for just $30 to support the band and choir's big trip next school year! Order here, and your blanket will be delivered to your student at school in the middle of May. Your purchase helps keep music strong at LMS, one blanket at a time.

Visit our website for meeting and event information!

The LMS teachers appreciated all the appreciation this week!

The LMS Podcast channel can be found here.

Cartwheel is a virtual mental health partner, offering students and families access to licensed therapists and psychiatrists with extended hours and no waitlists! Learn more about Cartwheel.

Testing Season: SAT season can be a stressful time for many students. If your child is feeling overwhelmed, Cartwheel’s licensed therapists are available through convenient telehealth to provide support and someone for them to talk to. Learn more at www.cartwheel.org/families.

Parent Guidance: Parenting can come with tough moments, and you don’t have to navigate them alone. Cartwheel offers virtual parent guidance sessions with licensed clinicians to help caregivers support their child’s mental health and navigate challenges. Learn more at www.cartwheel.org/families.

Family Interest Form: Have a busy schedule but want to connect your child with mental health support? With Cartwheel, families can quickly fill out a short interest form anytime to request help, making it easy to connect to care when it works for you. Learn more at www.cartwheel.org/families.

Students built our online LMS Art Merch store by creating original artwork and thoughtfully applying their designs to real products. From concept to final mockup, students are learning how artists and designers turn ideas into items people can actually use and enjoy.

This project gives students the opportunity to see their artwork move beyond the classroom and into the hands of classmates, families, friends, and our wider community. It is authentic design work with a real audience, and students are taking pride in seeing their creativity come to life in tangible ways.

Keep an eye out as more student designed products continue to be added.

At the same time, this class is leading the initial design and layout of the LMS yearbook, which will be published at the end of this school year. Students are working on themes, page layouts, typography, and visual organization to capture the spirit of LMS this year.

Yearbooks are on sale now!

Eighteen dollars for 5th, 6th, and 7th graders. All 8th graders will be provided a yearbook free of charge.

Please see the flyers included in this newsletter for ordering details, and watch for additional reminders as the year continues.

Thank you for supporting student creativity and celebrating the work happening in our Design Studio.

We will be conducting our annual New Hampshire SAS Testing in May.

For a letter from Karen Dubois, SAU88 Director of Academics, Engagement, and Opportunity, please click this link.

For a letter from Caitlin Davis, Commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Education, please click this link.

Entering our 33rd successful year, we are excited to bring the camp once again to the Upper Valley at the Lebanon High School Campus.

We provide a program that specializes in the soccer skills development of all positions and is open top Boys and Girls ages 7-14.

Many of our coaches are educators as well as players and understand the physical and psychological development of the participants we work with.

The camp will take place at LHS from July 13 to July 17, 2026.

We also offer a Half Day or Full Day Program.

Financial assistance available to any SAU88 Employee with multiple children attending the camp.

For more details, visit our website: www.soccerskillcamp.org

5-6th grade students who are interested in continuing their basketball growth without having to commit to an AAU / Travel program.

• Grades 3–6 (Skill Development Clinic)
• Wednesday Nights & Saturday Mornings
• April through June (~15 - 20 sessions)
• $100 per player
• Grantham Village School
• Focus on fundamentals, teamwork, and confidence
• Great for beginners and developing players
• Fun, structured environment led by Noble Hoops
• Spots are limited! Email jacob@noblehoops.com to sign up today!

Small Group Training (SGT)

SGT training combines the benefits of working with a personal trainer and the energy of a team. Get individual attention and accountability.

SESSIONS: May 12 - June 4

Ages 11-15

Tuesdays and Thursdays 4-5 pm

The Camp K Leadership in Training (LIT) Program is a fun and hands-on opportunity for middle school students ages 12-13 (as of June 30th) who want to build leadership skills while being part of an exciting summer camp environment. LITs start with a one-week training experience where they learn teamwork, problem solving, activity leadership, and how to support campers and staff. After training, they spend at least two weeks working alongside counselors with campers, gaining real experience mentoring younger students, leading games and activities, and building confidence as leaders. The program is designed to help students grow their communication skills, responsibility, and teamwork while being part of the Camp K community.

For 2026, the LIT program is $130 for Lebanon residents and $160 for nonresidents. There is financial aid available through our Leb Rec website here, and Listen is offering summer camp financial aid as well that participants are able to apply to our camp programs.

Application information can be found here Handbook and Application

We're excited to share that we have a limited number of spots still available for boys in Session 1 (June 21st-26th) this summer! While other sessions are currently full and have started waitlisting, we encourage families to add their children to the waitlist in case spots become available.

We would love to partner with you in sharing this opportunity with your students and their families. Attached is a flyer that can be posted on your school's bulletin boards or shared through your school website or email communications. We would love to provide a memorable summer experience for some of your students!

A little more about Camp Downer - Our mission is to provide a positive and affordable camping experience for youth in a safe, constructive, and welcoming environment. We offer a wide range of activities, including athletic sports, shooting sports, swimming, canoeing and kayaking, fishing, tent camping, theatre, arts & crafts, and more. Camp Downer fosters a strong sense of community and provides a safe and supportive environment where campers can learn, grow, and make lifelong friends!

If distributing this information isn't within your scope, I would appreciate being connected with the right person to share this opportunity with students' families. I’m happy to answer any questions you have. You can reach me by calling Amy Koch at (802) 276-4420.

On Saturday, June 6th from 10am–2pm, New Hampshire 4-H will host a statewide Day of Service: 6.8 Miles for End 68 Hours of Hunger. Youth and families from across NH will gather at one of two community hubs to walk relay-style, participate in hands-on activities, and raise funds to help ensure children have enough food between Friday school lunch and Monday breakfast. This event is open to all ages, and families do not need to be 4-H members to participate. The two community hubs are:

• UNH Outdoor Track: ADA accessible
• Gunstock Mountain Resort: Trail walk with different activity stops throughout

If you have any questions or would like additional materials, please feel free to reach out to me directly at Kristen.Lyons@unh.edu. We hope your school community will join us for this joyful and purposeful day.

The Swim With A Mission (SWAM) essay contest is open to students in NH and MA, grades 3-8 and give students an opportunity to reflect on America’s 250th. Students are encouraged to share their voices via an essay consisting of 3-5 paragraphs on their choice of the prompts below. There will be a winner chosen from two age groups: grades 3-5 and grades 6-8. Submission deadline is June 12th.

Choose from one of the following prompts

• What does America mean to you?
• What does Freedom mean to you?
• A 250th Birthday Wish To America
• Tell us about a Veteran in your life and what their service means to you

One winner will be selected from each age group, and the winners will be invited to read their essays at Mission 250: Honoring Our Heroes Event at Tuscan Village in Salem on July 12th.

Email your essay to info@swam.org with the subject line, “250th Essay Competition – Name, Grade, and School)”.

This is a great opportunity for boys and girls (ages 10-14 or entering grades 5-9) to continue to grow and develop their skills as basketball players. All games and practices will be held at the Frank W. Whitcomb basketball court by the Walpole town pool. REGISTRATION DAYS: Sign-ups will be down next to the Walpole town pool at Frank W. Whitcomb Park on Wednesday May 13th, Friday May 15th, and Wednesday May 20th from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. EVALUATION: May 28th & May 29th from 6:00-7:00 pm REGULAR SEASON: June 22nd - July 31st PLAYOFFS: August 3rd - 7th CHAMPIONSHIP: August 10th GAMES: Games will be held on Mondays and Wednesdays. If games are cancelled due to weather they will be played in the Walpole Elementary School Gymnasium or the following day at the outdoor courts. TEAMS: Each team will consist of an A team and a B team. B teams (ages 10-12) will play the 1st and 3rd quarters while the A team (ages 13-14) will play the 2nd and 4th quarters. All quarters will be 20 minutes, running time, to give each player a fair amount of playing time. The last two minutes of the third and fourth quarter will be stoppage time. PRICE: $25 for one child and $40 for two or more. The cost will help pay for referees, jerseys, and awards. Financial assistance is available. Payments are due at the time of registration (no refunds). **FREE FOR ANYONE WHO COACHES** CONTACT: Please contact Kaian Wilkes by email at recdirector@walpolenh.us with any questions. ***NOT A SCHOOL SPONSORED EVENT***

Thank you to Ollie Hermanson for serving as our Grantham student representative to the Grantham School Board. Ollie will be graduating and attending Ithaca College in the fall. Congratulations!

The Grantham School Board is accepting applications for 1 to 2 student representatives to continue in the role of student liaison. The student representative will provide monthly updates to the school board on different student activities, events, and honors. The Board typically meets the 1st Tuesday of each month starting at 6:30pm in the Music Room at GVS. Please contact Superintendent Downing at cdowning@sau75.org if you have questions or are interested in applying for this student leadership opportunity. Here is a link to the application.

The Hartford Area Career and Technology Center is offering two FREE summer camps during the week of June 22-26, 2026. The Summer Tech Camp is being offered in the morning and is open to all students entering 7th, 8th, or 9th grades in the fall. Students will have the opportunity to explore 10 hands-on activities; some past examples include basic welding, making strawberry jam, exploring circuits, and building a mini cornhole board. The Computer Camp is being offered in the afternoon and is open to girls and gender-expansive youth entering 7th, 8th, or 9th grades in the fall. Students will have the opportunity to practice basic coding and programming and learn more about cybersecurity. There will also be guest speakers from the industry.

To register for Summer Tech Camp in the mornings, please complete and submit THIS online application.

To register for Girls Computer Camp in the afternoons, please complete and submit THIS online application.

At ERDC’s Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL), we develop innovative solutions for science and engineering challenges in extreme environments.

Our mission is to solve interdisciplinary, strategically important problems impacting Warfighters and the nation in cold and complex regions. We accomplish this mission by utilizing a broad spectrum of sciences that include biogeochemical, terrestrial, cryospheric, and geographical informational, as well as mechanical and electrical engineering.

Every summer we are proud to sponsor a Gains in the Education of Mathematics and Science (GEMS) camp for local students that are currently in grades 6th through 8th.

GEMS is a week-long day camp that runs June 22 – 26, 2026 from 08:30am to 4:30pm and is held at the Richmond Middle School in Hanover NH.

This is a wonderful opportunity for students that are interested in STEM learning with the Scientists and Researchers who work in the field. Below is an informational flyer and instructions on how to apply for GEMS Camp.

Office: ML263 - Phone: 603-646-4298

Michele.B.Burns@usace.army.mil

NESA Summer Camps & June Ballet Series

New England School of the Arts still has room in its summer camp programming for students interested in the arts, legos, creativity, movement, and performance. Camps offer a fun and supportive arts-centered experience, and this year’s programming also includes swim lessons.

NESA is also launching a full NESA Ballet program for the 2026-2027 school year. Families interested in ballet are invited to participate in the June Ballet Series, which will introduce students to the program and help guide future class placement.

Learn more or register for summer camp at: https://www.nesarts.org/about-summercamp

Learn more or register for our June Ballet series: https://www.nesarts.org/june-ballet-series

It is always on MOTHER's Day!

For more information, please click here.

SAU88 District Calendar (2025-2026)

2026-2027 School Year Calendar

LMS Lunch Menu

LMS PTO Page

LMS Athletics & Co-Curricular Offerings

Elm Team (8th Grade) Homework Page

Willow Team (7th Grade) Homework Page

Spruce Team (6th Grade) Homework Page

You can see the full LMS Mission Statement by clicking here.